Blog Posts

If you haven't been living under a rock (aka keeping up with my Instagram), then you already know I went to the Great Barrier Reef this past weekend. On Thursday we flew into Airlie Beach, a little beach town in Queensland in the North. As soon as we got out of the terminal, we were hit with a wall of humidity and misty rain. Our uber driver from the airport warned us our 3 day 2 night boat tour may be cancelled the next day. So, that night I did a bunch of things to lock in good luck (was undercharged for dinner and went back to pay more - personal growth) and the next morning the tour was ON! Thanks Karma. It was still raining, but we stayed very positive because we were just so excited. 

Helloooooo. It's Wednesday, February 18th. Do you know what that means? It means I'm officially done with my FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES!!!!! Concerned adults - I did do a summer course. Sorta. I had a very busy three days and boy am I exhausted. My classes, while not directly relating to my major, are pretty interesting. One class is called Australia Through Visitors' Eyes. Enrolling in this course, I believed it would have something to do with tourists and Australian history and whatnot. Today I found out I was mistaken. The course is literally about people who have visited Australia and what they did while there. To name a few - Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller, and various prime ministers (former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi asked to take a Koala home with her. Her request was denied.) So that will be interesting... I think. Over the past week, I've talked a lot about the different political climates in the US vs Australia, and it's been really interesting hearing international perspectives straight from people who grew up in other countries. I'm trying to pull as much as I can from the academic side of abroad. It's also nice to have some structure during my days. Don't get me wrong, a month and a half of free time was pretty great, but some guidelines definitely aren't going to hurt. It feels really strange to be a student at a new school. UNSW looks like a movie set. It feels like a weird alternate universe, as if I got to go back in time and relive the first two weeks of freshman year again. Today while on campus I ran into a million people I've met here, and it really felt like I was back in Charlottesville and talking to friends I made at Boylan. Except if Charlottesville was tropical and modern and Boylan was Coogee Pav and I was 21 and not 18. So overall my rating of first week is probably an 8/10. No real complaints, I just need to get used to using my brain again and thinking. Which may be hard, considering all I've had to do for the past month is play. 

Hi, all. I've been back in Sydney for about a week, and it's been great getting to see new and old friends who arrived while I was away. This city has become overrun with abroad kids, which is mostly a good thing because it means more people to meet. I'm not sure the Aussies love it, but I'm pretty much Australian at this point so they don't even think I'm an American abroad kid. Classes start next week, so this has been another free week. 

Hi there. Currently bed ridden. Stomach bug. I drank the water (I brushed my teeth with it). Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers not joking. Now let me rewind for you...

The past week has been scary. Without Chlo On The Go I personally have felt lost and confused and I'm sure you all have as well. I bet you were all sitting there like "where's chloe" and like "is she okay???!!!" To answer those questions: I was running back and forth from UNSW campus (which looks like an AI rendering) and the beach and the city. And Yes I am very okay!!! I am currently in the airport heading to SINGAPORE!! My big journey starts today, but I just had to update the blog (this is really for my mom and dad because I think you guys may be my only readers). I definitely feel scared for Asia, because I've never done a trip all planned by myself and without any supervision. It's kind of the hardest thing I've ever done... But how lucky am I that that's the case! I still have to recover from the hacking so pictures will come at some point but not yet.